Jason Puts Up a Wall

Our Library is on its way to completion. Jason put up a wall near the entryway just before he came down with the stomach flu, Yuck! Poor thing... So, now I just need to put together the final bookshelf for the living room to finish our library.

Other things:

J built the compost bin higher

I am sewing more and more, mostly baby stuff and maternity items

Composting Toilet is still working out great, although J did switch to the city toilet during his illness. We are about to store the peat moss in a covered trash can to protect it from rain (not necessary, just something to make me feel better--I don't like the wet peat moss at the bottom of the bag)

The Garden is going pitifully well. There is still mesclun to pick. Turnips survived without any protection, although I didn't eat too many. J pruned the fruit trees a couple weeks back. I have started my Spring/Summer garden plans. They will be nice a simple to accomodate my pregnant state. I'm thinking, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peppers, radish, and beans, lots of marigolds and cosmos, and, if I feel up to it, some other things.

I've started started laundering my baby stuff. We are starting to implement a greywater environment, meaning, switching to greywater friendly soaps. First is the laundry detergeant. We found a recipe to base a liquid soap made from our bio-deisel supplies. We need to do a couple of experiments, but it looks easy enough.

Bio-Deisel, by the way, is going fine. Production is much slower in the wintertime, saved for warm weekends. We use 70% bio-deisel, 30% regular deisel in the winter, but we drive less too (summer we use 100% bio-D).
So, still, overall, throughout the year, we emit 10% of what we were with our old Nissan gasoline Stanza.

Well, I can't think of any other homesteading updates. I'm just taking it day by day with this pregnancy thing, and nesting when I feel like it. Housecleaning is kept to a minimum, but I am having bouts of deep cleaning too, which is always fun. "J, can I get rid of this? or J, can I build this?"

Oh, forgot to say, drying laundry outside on the clothesline still going fine. I just have to remember, watch the weather, although rain-washed baby clothes are great! (We've had our line for 2 years, now? and probably for the last year I have been using is regularly. I've only used the dryer 4 times in the past year...)

Hold on, Let me get some more firewood...

Another cold morning. We use the fireplace most days. On days where I am out running errands we use the thermostat, and if the outside temp in high fifties or about, the windows and screen door is opened (like yesterday, awe, fresh air).
Using the fireplace makes the house more dry, so it is perfect for drying some laundry.
No matter how we're heating the house, if the sun is shining, the front door is open to let the warming sunshine in through the glass door.

So this past month I built 3 floor to ceiling bookshelves, and have plans to do one more in the living room, and a wardrobe in the bedroom. All this is in preparation for baby due at the end of June. Since we are going to use cloth diapers, I am diligently researching and designing a diaper station, diaper bag layout, and everything else that goes with a baby. I guess diapers are a big one in my mind. HA!

Jason has been crazy busy at work so he hasn't been able to work on many of his projects, although, since it is cold out, I've noticed he's been doing more computer and paperwork stuff. We did start our taxes last week, but have yet to wrap that up. Maybe this weekend. Jason did get his lumber, and it has been drying for the past month. He plans to put up his beams mid February, weather permitting. I'm so excited to think he'll have a workshop soon! Okay, well I am also thinking that, finally, I will get my metal roof, front porch, and garden shed not far afterwards, but, now I won't feel so bad. Hehe!

I actually stuck to my grocery budget this month, yay! We are using the old envelope system, which helps me not to overspend, and thus, keeps us on track to pay off our house this year. Mortgage burning party? I think so. Looks like somewhere between August and October depending on whatever life brings us.